Spate of thefts from south west farms triggers security warning

Rural insurer NFU Mutual, along with Devon & Cornwall and Dorset police forces, are urging country people to increase security following a spate of thefts hitting farms in the south west.

 

 

Rural insurer NFU Mutual, along with Devon & Cornwall and Dorset police forces, are urging country people to increase security following a spate of thefts hitting farms in the south west.

Increasing reports of rural crime, including the theft of quad bikes, tools and expensive GPS systems from farms, have prompted an early warning to farmers to ramp up security and for rural communities to report suspicious sightings to the police.

In the past few weeks, police have reported 16 recorded crimes in East and Mid Devon and 11 in Dorset.

The scale of ATV theft is revealed by NFU Mutual’s claims statistics. The insurer, which covers over three quarters of the UK’s farmers, estimates that quad and ATV theft cost £2.6m in 2018 – a 13 per cent increase on 2017.

Rebecca Davidson, Rural Affairs Specialist at NFU Mutual, said: “Quad bikes and other types of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) continue to top rural thieves’ shopping lists – as many south west farmers have sadly found in recent months.

“A new breed of determined criminal with networks across the UK and abroad continue to target the countryside which is why it’s more important than ever to protect agricultural vehicles with CESAR marking, immobilisers and trackers. ATVs are attractive to thieves because they have high value in relation to weight, they can be sold on across the globe, and they can be lifted into the back of a van.

“Livestock rearing areas are currently the hardest hit, as farmers checking livestock and feeding sheep and cattle in the fields use quads extensively during the winter months. Thieves tend to target farms which look easy targets, so having good, visible security in the farm yard is an effective deterrent, so it does pay to install and regularly update alarms, cameras and locks around the farm yard.

“Another point to remember is that after stealing a quad, thieves will often revisit a farm after a few weeks to see if a shiny new replacement is in place which they can steal. So, if you do suffer a quad theft, try and store the replacement in a difference place on the farm, and make sure it’s well protected.”

Quad advice:

• Always remove keys from quads when not in use

• Keep quads locked up in well-secured buildings at night

• Fit and lock gates to the farm yard to prevent thieves having easy access

• Fit CESAR marking – we see fewer marked quads being stolen, and better recovery rates

• Consider fitting trackers and secure devices such as Quad Vice

• Know what you own. Take pictures of your vehicles and record serial numbers

If you need to protect any of your machinery then give us a call to find out more about one of our trackers!

Radio Frequency (RF) tracking allows us to find your asset in the places other trackers can’t or obtain search warrants quicker! This technique, in combination with our other technology gives you the ultimate level of protection and is also what gives us the insurance industry approved S7 rating.

 

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